Thorns
by Elle Light
Summary: While Severus Snape uttered the deadly words on the Tower of Astronomy, a strange guest knocked at the massive door of Malfoy's mansion. Is this visitor what Voldemort needs to win the war? With her analyzing each of his actions would Snape be able to hide his true intentions? What is what she actually wants? Why is she fascinated by Snape? Is his fame or has she sensed something?
1. Back to square one

_Finally, my project of rewriting the story has started. Hope you'll enjoy it. _

_I don't own the characters or anything from HP universe. All belong to J. K. Rowling _

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Back to square one

It was almost the end of May and yet still young, the sprig started to get nutty. Carefree and innocent, she'd spilt drops of colour all over the silky grass and, as if it hadn't been enough, she tickled the layer of the water with her frisky fingers. Only the mountains stood tall and mighty like two sentinels, too serious and cold for the display of life and energy that filled the air.

Had it not been for the stone citadel, just opposite one of the mountains, none would have guessed that someone had ever gone as far as the eastern bank of the lake. Sheltered by water and guarded by its looming height, the citadel looked as imposing as the bulky giant on whose shoulders it had been built.

It was early in the morning and the sun hadn't shown its face yet. If one were to follow the path that led up to the top of the mountain, they would come to face the massive wooden door of the citadel. It would have taken them a long time to get there and they would have been exhausted, but their journey would have finally come to an end only to start again when climbing the flight of stairs that went up to the last floor. It had a lot of floors, apart from the underground ones, where no visitor was allowed to go. In fact, there were few that knew where the entrance was.

This entrance would permit access to another flight of stairs. With every step, one would go closer to hell and farther from the light of day. Only by magic could the prisoners taste some of the joy that came from the sun on their face and fresh air in their lungs, innocent pleasures they hadn't felt for decades. To be specific - for five decades.

This place was Nurmengard Castle and the date was May 21st, 1997. The current prisoners of the citadel were Grindelwald's followers. But Grindelwald himself wasn't there. For Grindelwald, the top-most cell was reserved for him. His cell had a narrow window – a security measure to prevent someone from entering or escaping the place - and almost no furniture, except for a hard bed and a table.

Nurmengard Castle had also been the headquarters of OZD (Osterreichischezaubereidienstleistungen) the place where Austrian Aurors had their offices and their meetings. After the defeat of Grindelwald, the Austrian Aurors had gained autonomy and cut ties with the Ministry. The two institutions still collaborated, but OZD was away from any form of Ministry interference. So, when the Minister of Magic had to decide on matters of security and the defense of both the Muggle and Magical worlds, he would need the approval of the Head of OZD. Why they had demanded autonomy and how the institution was functioning were questions that would require a lot of time to be answered and we don't want to get tangled in irksome and bureaucratic details that won't help this story. What the reader needs to know is that the Ministry had always been more preoccupied with its political fights and too corrupted to move their fat asses when the world needed them. That, and the fact that the Aurors were sick of being used for the Ministry's political agenda.

What could be found beneath the first floor was one of the best guarded secrets of Nurmengard. Some said there were dragons and griffins as well as different types of magical beasts such as giant dogs with three heads, birds whose claws were stronger than steel, sphinxes and mermaids. Though the only creatures that roamed around Nurmengard were a very playful Egyptian cat, a mischievous Labradoodle puppy, and a noisy Bowtruckle as well as the owls that had inherited the citadel's owlery from their ancestors and they had kept thriving since then. From time to time, Sturm, the cat, would pay a visit to the owls or would run after them when they attempted to deliver the daily letters. Yet, the birds had gotten used to the antics of their furry friend while the cat had vowed to always be as friendly as she could with her feathered companions.

This other part of the citadel was the opposite of everything that lay behind that door. It was dedicated to the Aurors's offices, the departments of International Cooperation, Internal Affairs and Interinstitutional Cooperation, the Department of Security and Law Enforcement, the Library, the training quarters, the Potion Lab, the Medical Centre, the financial quarters, the Department of Reparations and Internal accidents and, of course, the canteen.

Visitors were only allowed on the first floor. This floor was designed to host important meetings, lunches, dinners and to provide accommodation for the foreign officials. (The international conferences usually lasted for quite a few days and it wouldn't have been good for the visitors to travel from one country to another each time. Austrian officials could stay overnight as well if they wanted (though, they rarely wanted to).

However, this place might easily be mistaken for a kindergarten, due to the noise and energy its inhabitants never stopped displaying..

It got even worse when they as they'd discovered the Muggle toy guns and began to play like little kids. Boys and girls, elves and she-elves, they were all fighting, hidden under their office desks s while rubber bullets flew everywhere. Each had their boxes of munitions at arms reach, just in case. It didn't matter if one wanted to stop playing, out of it, if you weren't fast enough you'd be shot (not that it could damage much apart from your ego). Even Sturm and Struppi knew better than to go close to the battlefield. It had lasted over a week. Every time there was a break they would turn the music loud and resume their last battle. And the night shift was their favorite time for practicing.

There were only seven of them that used to cause havoc with their childishness and their energy. The rest were just poor victims thrown into the crossfire, forced by fate to hide or fight. The famous trouble makers' names were Ivy and Alfie, Andreas Seidel, Brunhilda Fuchs, Edgar Stein, Allan Leeds and Amberrose Eissee.

Ivy was Amberrose's house-elf. Well, she was in fact a free elf, and more a friend than anything else. She was small, but she was full of energy and she was so cute in the colourful dresses that she wore. Her green eyes always shone with the innocent joy a child. She had long ears like any other elf, but they made her look cuter as they would droop every time she wanted something.

She and Amberrose had been together for fifteen 15 years and during this time they'd become fond of each other. Ivy had been mistreated by her former owners, but for a long time, she hadn't had any idea that life could be any different for her. She was grateful to have a house and food to eat and she never dared to dream for a better life. But one day, Amber appeared in her life and since that moment, Ivy learned how it felt to be loved and cared for. Ivy had been very tired that day and she dropped her mistress' shopping bags by mistake. As a result, Miss Karla started to call her ugly names and hit her feeble legs, despite the fact Ivy had difficulty in standing and the bags were too heavy for her skinny arms to carry. At that moment, a cloaked figure appeared and in an instance she had Miss Karla's arms caught in her grip. Miss Karla started to shout and she kept fighting, trying to get away. As a result, the cloaked figure threw Miss Karla to the ground. Then she sent a bag full of gold at Miss Karla's feet, took Ivy's little hand and then she disappeared with the elf.

In those fifteen years Ivy had learned to smile, to sing and to love Amber and her friends. Even if she had been set free, Ivy never forgot to bring food for Amber at her office or to help her prepare potions. She was always there when she had a nightmare. She cuddled in her arms and let Amber hold her while she cried. She was her confidant, her friend, her little sister and she was always ready to help her no matter what. Meanwhile, Ivy made a living by sewing and embroidering dresses which she had a talent for. Her only regret was that Amber Rose wasn't able to wear one of the dresses because of her condition. Amberrose's skin had been burnt during her fight with Grindelwald's followers. Since then, she had to cover every inch of her skin behind layers of dark silk and veils.

Alfie was the house-elf of one of the former Aurors who had died in an accident, a year ago. It had been a difficult time for Alfie, Ilvy and her friends had helped him a lot. Alfie still missed him, but he was happy thinking that he would see him again one day. Like Ivy, he was a free elf, but he decided to stay at OZD. He helped the other elves to clean the place and to feed the prisoners. He was one of the few that participated in missions together with the Aurors or went down to in the village to gather information.

Alfie was taller than Ivy and chubby. He was three years older than her, but he was as elegant as Ivy. Despite the fact that his blue eyes were usually full of tears for his fallen owner, he was always ready for a bit of mischief.

Andreas Seidel was the youngster of the Aurors. He was around twenty-five years old, tall and blond with sky-blue eyes. He was one of the few purebloods that worked at OZD, his posture and his clothes reflected his nobility. His family had offered him the best education without causing him to think he was superior to someone else. As a result, he got on pretty well with the elves as well as the Muggle-born and half-blood that worked with him. He even became fond of Muggle inventions and he never lost any chance occasion to go with Amberose (Blüme as he used to call her) to in the Muggle world or to borrow one of her Muggle novels. He still wore elegant clothes and his face was always clean-shaven. Yet, he didn't have a problem in getting dirty any more. Despite his young age, he was an excellent dueler and he was one of the bravest Aurors (even though Blüme accused him of being stupid and reckless on occasion).

At first, like most of his colleagues, he'd been reluctant towards Amberrose. His uncle was working for the Ministry and Andreas had heard a lot of stories about her. Her appearance had added to the gossip and eccentricity that surrounded her. Mr. Seidel was not very fond of die kleine Demetorin, as he called her. Miss Eissee wasn't someone to be intimidated or subdue by a bunch of men who considered themselves superior to her. Not once had she contradicted them and despite her bringing better arguments they refused to listen. Soon, though, they found she didn't need their approval to do her job. In fact, it was the other way round. Their positions depended on the security of the country and so, being on the wrong side with the head of the Aurors' Department wasn't a brilliant idea. Andreas hadn't known all those things when he'd applied for the job. Despite being the laughing stock to his future colleagues, as he had been told Miss Eissee was an Animagus and was sent to speak with Sturm (an ordinary stray cat Ameberrose had found on Hallstatt and had nourished to become the current troublemaker), he'd found the life at OZD was better than he'd expected if only he was willing to relax a bit and enjoy the Allan and Edgar's jokes. Not only had he enjoyed them, but he started to use them against the two pranksters. Soon, he also discovered that Amberrose was a pleasant person. Ambitious, loyal and hard-working, but above all, the best leader ever and a good friend.

Brunhilda Fuchs was a thirty-year-old witch with short blue hair. She was even shorter than Amberrose, but she was happy with the way she looked. She hardly wore dresses despite Amberrose's attempts to have her try on one of Ivy's creations. She preferred Muggle clothing instead of robes (her mother was a Muggle) and jeans and trainers instead of uncomfortable dresses and high-heels. She'd only accepted to let Amberrose and Ivy help her prepare for her wedding. Despite her unconventional style, deep down she had wanted to be a princess for her special day and Amberrose made sure she looked perfect.

Fuchs was hard-working and the best curse breaker from OZD, but from time to time, she indulged herself in childish games and funny pranks.

Edgar Stein was a mountain, so tall and rock like that Amberrose looked like a tiny doll next to him. Though, she'd beat him in physical combat (due to decades of martial arts experience she had and she was good at it). Edgar was the opposite of Andreas. While the latter was tidy and elegant, Edgar wore loose clothes, his hair was always messed up and his curly beard looked like the perfect nest for one of the little birds that came every morning at their windows. Yet, he was a loyal friend and he had a big heart. Moreover, he had a brilliant memory and a talent for charms.

He'd worked for ten years as a Charms Professor before applying as an Auror. s. He loved children and he was happy with his job, but after his sister was hurt by a fanatical pureblood (she was a Muggle like their parents), he'd decided to find a new purpose for his talents.

Allan Leeds was a tall and skinny figure and the owner of Struppi, the Labradoodle puppy. He'd grown up as an orphan on London's streets, his only friend being a dog he'd had since he was just a child. That was where Amberrose had found him in 1981 before she'd left the UK to return to Austria. He'd never found out why she'd come to the UK. It was something about a job. Probably something related to that English wizard. Anyway, she'd lived in England for over five years. He went with her to Austria and she offered him a room at OZD. He was seventeen-years-old at the time and he was a lovely teenager with blue eyes and raven black hair. Because he hadn't displayed signs of magic, he'd never gone to a magical school. Yet, he proved to be very magical. Well-fed and loved, Allan soon started to show signs of his power. He learned fast and he proved to be very good at transfigurations. His dog died fifteen years later, but his last years had been pleasant and easy. Two months ago, a new visitor arrived at OZD as a gift from the Australian Minister during his visit to OZD.

Amberrose Eissee. Miss Eissee, Rose, Rosy or Blume was the head of the Aurors Department, the best friend of Ivy and the comrade into mischief of the other six. She was a brilliant Muggle-born and a determinate witch, willing to fight to the last breath for what she believed in. Despite her brilliant mind and her power, she was a simple human being with ups and downs. Inside her tiny body, always covered by long dark clothes, the forces of hell and heaven dwelled and mingled together. Yet, most of the time she was the compassionate girl that would sacrifice her sleep to nourish a stray kitten back to life or the fearless warrior that would gladly take a blow for her loved ones.

She'd never liked rules and never memorized a book off by heart. She had always been the type to experiment and create new spells. Inventive at potions, quick at transfiguration and one of the best at defense against the dark arts, she would have been the best student from her year if it hadn't been for her temper and her fervent desire to work by her own rules and, of course, for her main rival, Tom Marvolo Riddle. For seven years there wasn't a book, be it Muggle or magical, she hadn't studied and hardly any Hogwarts teacher that hadn't punished her at least once.

At only eighteen she had to learn to hide her own body. From an exquisite beauty, she'd turn in less than a minute into a monster. Yet, for more than two years she never left her room. Partly because of the pain her body would cause her anytime she would try to move, partly because of the exhaustion of so many nights without an hour of sleep. She was delirious and weak. Soon she couldn't cry anymore. Words would get stuck inside her throat and the only sound that would come out would be a feeble cry. She tried any potion she could. She invented new ones, but half a century later and lovely dresses were still unworn in the wardrobe. She couldn't go around people for fear of scaring them. She would only watch children play from afar. And yet, she had only caused that fire to buy her friends time to escape from Grindelwald. She knew that people had died because of her or they had been condemned to a destiny as worse as hers, but she was at war and if it hadn't been Grindelwald's followers, it would have been her friends.

That morning, when the spring was more beautiful than ever, Amber was playing with Edgar in the entrance hall. Since Voldemort's return, things hadn't been quite easy around there. There were enough families and pureblood supremacies in Austria to tear the country apart. However, she wanted to make the best of everything. She would still eat her favorite Strudel at her favorite Muggle bakery, at her favorite table, together with Andreas and Allan. She would dance with a broom in her room while nobody would see her until she would fall exhausted on the bed or until she would bump into some random piece of furniture and hurt herself. Playing with toy guns or dancing with her friends was another of her ways of creating ever-lasting memories. That morning, they were having a bit of fun just before going to bed after a very long night at the job. Amber fired and hit her target: a very badly hidden Edgar whose body was only half behind a griffin statute.

The hall was huge and almost empty apart from the statues of two griffins and a bronze dragon whose wings covered half of the eastern branch. The two griffins were guarding the path that led towards the stairs and so towards the restricted area. If any visitor would try to break elude the rules and go beyond the boundaries ers the griffins would block his pathway. The dragon was also guarding something, but without the password, he would be just as motionless as a simple marble statue from a Muggle museum. Above their heads, books of different colours and dimensions floated like strange clouds on a sky-like ceiling. Amber's steps echoed on the marble floor as she ran away while teasing Edgar with her glorious laughter. Edgar ran after her and he was on the verge of catching her when the door opened and a boy clothed in what might as well be rags, entered the hall. He was Tommy, Amber's little spy.

Tommy was a poor boy that had used to live mostly on the streets. Amber had taught him to read and write and she took care of him, but he'd loved his adventurous life and so he couldn't adapt to the rules she'd imposed on him. So, she let him go. Yet, he wanted to help her and so he would wander from town to town, from crowded streets to dark and cold areas of wizard society. He would keep his ears ready for any whisper of dark plots and crimes. From time to time, he would come back to her to tell her about his adventures. He would stay for a while and then he would leave again. His room was always ready for his return, but it was mostly empty as his staying was usually short.

This time he looked exhausted, his clothes in a worse state than ever, while sweat ran down his face. It was clear that he'd hurried up to see her. Amber's laughter died as her eyes studied him. He had news. Horrible things were about to happen..

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24.05.2019


	2. Announcement

Hi. I wanted to announce to you that I've started my project of rewriting the story and I couldn't find a better way of doing it.

You're going to meet Viper in the next chapter (if you miss her. I doubt you do).

Thank you to all those who reviewed. Your opinion matters a lot.

Yes, Viper is going to be a troublemaker


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